Frequently asked general questions
What is the difference between brightdata and bdata?
What is the difference between brightdata and bdata?
They are identical -
bdata is a shorthand alias installed alongside brightdata. Use whichever you prefer.Do I need a Bright Data account to use the CLI?
Do I need a Bright Data account to use the CLI?
Yes. The CLI connects to Bright Data’s infrastructure to handle web requests. You can sign up for free and get started with the free tier.
What platforms can I extract data from?
What platforms can I extract data from?
The
pipelines command runs any of the thousands of pre-built Scraper API scrapers, covering sites such as Amazon, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google Maps and Walmart. Run brightdata pipelines search <site or data type> to find a scraper and its dataset_id, then brightdata pipelines info <dataset_id> to see its collection methods.Where did pipelines amazon_product and pipelines list go?
Where did pipelines amazon_product and pipelines list go?
CLI 0.4.0 removed the fixed pipeline types (
brightdata pipelines amazon_product <url> and the others), brightdata pipelines list and the top-level brightdata status command. The old commands exit with a hint to the new ones. Find the scraper with brightdata pipelines search <site or data type>, run it with brightdata pipelines run <dataset_id> <method> <url> and check async runs with brightdata pipelines status <snapshot_id>.What output formats are supported?
What output formats are supported?
- Scrape:
markdown(default),html,json,screenshot - Search: Formatted table (default),
json,pretty - Pipelines:
json(default),csv,ndjson,jsonl
-o <path> to write output to a file.Can I use the CLI in scripts and CI/CD pipelines?
Can I use the CLI in scripts and CI/CD pipelines?
Yes. The CLI is fully pipe-friendly. When stdout is not a TTY, colors and spinners are automatically disabled. Use
--json for machine-readable output and BRIGHTDATA_API_KEY environment variable for non-interactive authentication.Authentication
Where are my credentials stored?
Where are my credentials stored?
Credentials are stored locally on your machine:
The file is set to mode
0o600 (owner read/write only).How do I log in on a remote server without a browser?
How do I log in on a remote server without a browser?
Use the device flow:This prints a URL and a verification code. Open the URL on any device with a browser, enter the code, and authentication completes on the server.
How do I switch between Bright Data accounts?
How do I switch between Bright Data accounts?
Run
brightdata logout followed by brightdata login with the new account. Or pass a different API key directly:Troubleshooting
"No Web Unlocker zone specified"
"No Web Unlocker zone specified"
This means no default zone is configured. Fix it by either:
"Invalid or expired API key"
"Invalid or expired API key"
Your stored API key is no longer valid. Re-authenticate:
"Access denied"
"Access denied"
Your API key does not have permission for the requested zone or operation. Check zone permissions in the Bright Data control panel.
"Rate limit exceeded"
"Rate limit exceeded"
You’ve hit the rate limit for your zone. Options:
- Wait a moment and retry
- Use
--asyncfor large jobs to avoid blocking - Contact your account manager to increase limits
Pipeline job timed out
Pipeline job timed out
The default polling timeout is 600 seconds (10 minutes). For large datasets, increase it:
Colors or spinners look broken in my terminal
Colors or spinners look broken in my terminal
The CLI auto-detects TTY support. If detection fails, pipe through Or use
cat to force plain output:--json for clean, parseable output.Frequently asked configuration questions
How do I change the default output format?
How do I change the default output format?
markdown, json.What is the configuration priority order?
What is the configuration priority order?
Settings are resolved in this order (highest priority first):
- CLI flags - e.g.,
--zone my_zone - Environment variables - e.g.,
BRIGHTDATA_UNLOCKER_ZONE - config.json - e.g.,
default_zone_unlocker - Defaults - built-in fallbacks
How do I reset all configuration?
How do I reset all configuration?
Delete the configuration directory:Then run
brightdata login to start fresh.